lego, lēgi, lectum (gen. plur. part. legentum, Ov. Tr. 1. 7, 25), 3, v. a. Gr. λέγω, λόγος, λογάς, etc.; Lat. legumen, di-leg-ens, neg-leg-o, etc.; cf. Germ. lesen, to bring together, to gather, collect. Lit. In gen.: oleam, Cato, R. R. 144: nuces, Cic. de Or. 2, 66, 265: herbas collibus, Ov. M. 14, 347: flores et humi nascentia fraga, Verg. E. 3, 92; cf.: roscida mala, id. ib. 8, 38: flores in calathos, Ov. F. 5, 218: spolia caesorum, Liv. 5, 39: quos (montanos asparagos), Juv. 11, 69.

—Of the dead who have been burned: ossa, Ov. H. 10, 150: homini mortuo ossa, Cic. Leg. 2, 24, 60: ossa filii, Sen. de Ira, 2, 33, 6; cf. Quint. 8, 5, 21; Lact. de Mort. Persec. 21, 11: reliquias legerunt primores equestris ordinis, Suet. Aug. 100.

— Esp. To take out, pick out, extract, remove: quibusdam et radi ossa et legi ... quae sine totius pernicie corporis haerere non poterant, Sen. Prov. 1, 3, 2: ossa vivis, id. ad Marc. 22, 3: ossa in capite lecta, id. Ben. 5, 24, 3: ossa e vulneribus, Quint. 6, 1, 30.

— To pluck, strip, gather fruit from (a tree, etc.): oleam qui legerit, Cato, R. R. 144, 1: ficus non erat apta legi, Ov. F. 2, 254.

— Poet.: legere fila, to wind up: extrema Lauso Parcae fila legunt, i. e. spin the last thread of life, Verg. A. 10, 815; cf.: quae dedit ingrato fila legenda viro, Ov. F. 3, 462: stamen, Prop. 4 (5), 4, 40 (42).

— Naut. t. t.: vela legere, to draw together, furl: omnis navita ponto umida vela legit, Verg. G. 1, 373: vela legunt socii, id. A. 3, 532: ipse dabit tenera vela, legetque manu, Ov. H. 15, 215; Val. Fl. 2, 13: prora funem legit Argus ab alta, draws in, takes in, id. 1, 312: ancoras classis legit, is weighing anchor, Sen. Troad. 759.

— To take to one's self unjustly, to carry off, steal, purloin, plunder, abstract (not in Cic.): omnia viscatis manibus leget, omnia sumet: crede mihi, auferet omnia, Lucil. ap. Non. 332 and 396, 4: majus esse maleficium stuprare ingenuam quam sacrum legere, Auct. Her. 2, 30 fin.: sacra divum, Hor. S. 1, 3, 117: soceros legere et gremiis abducere pactas, Verg. A. 10, 79 Serv. ad loc. (but Forbig. renders legere here as = eligere, sumere; cf. 8. infra).

— Of places, to go, pass, or wander through (poet.): nec me studiosius altera saltus Legit, Ov. M. 5, 579: pars cetera pontum Pone legit, sails through, Verg. A. 2, 207: vada dura lego, id. ib. 3, 706: freta, id. ib. 3, 127: aequora Afra, Ov. F. 4, 289: Ioniumque rapax Icariumque legit, id. ib. 4, 566: vestigia alicujus, to follow one's footsteps, to track or pursue him: subsequitur pressoque legit vestigia gressu, id. M. 3, 17; cf.: et vestigia retro Observata legit, Verg. A. 9, 392: tortos orbes, to wander through, id. ib. 12, 481.

— To pass or sail by, to skirt, to coast along a shore, land, or place (mostly poet.): Inarimen Prochytenque legit, Ov. M. 14, 89; 15, 705; 709: primi litoris oram, coast along, i. e. not enter into details, Verg. G. 2, 44; id. E. 8, 7: navibus oram Italiae, Liv. 21, 51 fin.: oram Campaniae, Suet. Tib. 11; cf. terram, id. Aug. 16.

— Pregn., to choose from a number, to pick out, single out, select, elect (class.): alia esse oportet forma quem tu pugno legeris, pick out to fight with, Plaut. Am. 1, 1, 160: judices, Cic. Phil. 5, 6, 16: omnia, quae leget quaeque reiciet, id. Fin. 4, 15, 40: scribam, to elect, appoint, id. Clu. 45, 126: condiciones nubendi, id. Cael. 15: cives in patres, Liv. 23, 22: viros ad bella, Ov. M. 7, 669: geminasque legit de classe biremes, Verg. A. 8, 79: legit virum vir, each one singles out his man (of the combatants in a battle), id. ib. 11, 632: senatum ad modum pristinum redegit duabus lectionibus: prima ipsorum arbitratu, quo vir virum legit, Suet. Aug. 35; Tac. H. 1, 18: neque ejus legendam filiam (sc. virginem Vestalem) qui domicilium in Italia non haberet, At. Cap. ap. Gell. 1, 12, 8.

—* With inf.: fidissima custos Lecta sacrum justae veneri occultare pudorem, Stat. Th. 1, 530. Trop. * To catch up, i. e. overhear a conversation: nunc huc concedam, ut horum sermonem legam, Plaut. Ps. 1, 4, 21 (cf. sublegere, id. Mil. 4, 2. 98).

— To catch with the eye, to view, observe, behold, survey, see. * In gen.: tumulum capit, unde omnes longo ordine posset Adversos legere, Verg. A. 6, 755 Heyne ad loc.; and cf. Verg. A. 6, 34.

— In partic., to read or peruse a writing: ut eos libros per te ipse legeres, Cic. Top. 1: defensionem causae, Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 43, § 112: legi apud Clitomachum, A. Albium jocantem dixisse, etc., id. Ac. 2, 45, 137: aliquid studiose intenteque, Plin. Ep. 9, 13, 1: significas legisse te in quadam epistula mea, jussisse Verginium, etc., id. ib. 9, 19, 1: philosophorum consultorumque opiniones, Quint. 12, 11, 17: liber tuus et lectus est et legitur a me diligenter, Cic. Fam. 6, 5, 1: orationem, Quint. 1, 1, 6: aiunt multum legendum esse non multa, Plin. Ep. 7, 9, 15.

—With a pers. obj.: antiquos et novos, Quint. 2, 5, 23: antiquos studiosius, id. 3, 6, 62: poetas, id. 1, 4, 4.

—In pass.: Horatius fere solus legi dignus, Quint. 10, 1, 96: si cum judicio legatur Cassius Severus, id. 10, 1, 116: dumque legar, mecum pariter tua fama legetur, Ov. Tr. 5, 14, 5: sepulcra legens, when reading epitaphs, Cic. de Sen. 7, 21: legentium plerisque, Liv. 1 praef. § 4: opus nescio an minimae legentibus futurum voluptati, to my readers, Quint. 3, 1, 2; cf. id. 9, 4, 2; 2, 5, 3: nec Cynicos nec Stoica dogmata, Juv. 13, 121.

—Absol.: legendi usus, Lact. 3, 25, 9: memoriam continuus legendi usus instruit, Macr. S. 1, 5, 1.

— In partic. To read out, read aloud, recite (esp. freq. in post-Aug. authors): convocatis auditoribus volumen legere, etc., Cic. Brut. 51, 191: codicem pro contione, id. Fragm. ap. Quint. 4, 4, 8: audio me male legere, dumtaxat versus, orationes enim commodius, Plin. Ep. 9, 34: obturem impune legentibus aures, Hor. Ep. 2, 2, 105: quem vero arripuit tenet occiditque legendo, with recitation, id. A. P. 475: quis dabit historico quantum daret acta legenti, to read him the news, Juv. 7, 104.

— To find in an author or a writing: ut scriptum legimus, Cic. Deiot. 7, 19: legi etiam scriptum, esse avem quandam, etc., id. N. D. 2. 49 init.: ego vero haec scripta legi, id. Planc. 39, 94: praeterea scriptum legimus, Gallos in venatibus tinguere sagittas, Gell. 17, 15, 7. relatum legere, Nep. praef. 1.

—Pass.: in aliis codicibus non peccato sed peccatis legitur, Aug. Cont. Jul. Rel. 1, 22; id. Don. Persev. 6 init. al.

— A publicist's t. t.: legere senatum, to read over or call off the names of senators (which was done by the censors; v. lectio, II. A. 2.): censores fideli concordia senatum legerunt, Liv. 40, 51; 9, 29; 9, 30; 9, 46; 43, 15 al.

—Hence, legens, entis, Part. as subst. m., a reader (poet. and in post-Aug. prose for lector), Ov. Tr. 1, 7, 25.

—Plur., Liv. praef. 4; Quint. 3, 1, 2; Plin. 8, 16, 17, § 44; Tac. A. 4, 33.

—Also, lectus, a, um, P. a., chosen, picked out, selected; choice, excellent (class.): argenti lectae numeratae minae, good, i. e. of full weight, Plaut. Ps. 4, 7, 50; so, argentum, Ter. Phorm. 1, 2, 3: ut neque vir melior neque lectior femina in terris sit, Cic. Inv. 1, 31, 52: lectissimi viri atque ornatissimi, Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 6, § 15; cf. id. Div. in Caecil. 9, 29: uxor lectissima, id. Inv. 1, 31, 52: (verbis) lectis atque illustribus uti, id. de Or. 3, 37, 150: nihil est aliud ... pulcre et oratorie dicere nisi optimis sententiis verbisque lectissimis dicere, id. Or. 68, 227: juvenum lectissime, Stat. S. 5, 1, 247; cf.: viginti lectis equitum comitatus, Verg. A. 9, 48.

—Hence, adv.: lectē, choicely, selectly (very rare): ab lego lecte ac lectissime, Varr. L. L. 6, § 36 Mull.

— Comp.: lectius, Varr. R. R. 1, 54, 2 (al. lecta).